I admit my studio has been a source of pain and confusion. At the end of last semester, I took on a huge project and created four pieces of art in 9 days. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, as a creative, creating under a tight schedule can lead to overwhelm and anxiety.

When I finished my project, and left the studio and didn’t return for a couple of days as I recovered from the frenzy of creating. It was an exhilarating time, but now the aftermath of the creativity was chaos. It has looked like a tornado went through my studio, dislodging and displacing supplies, fabric, and tools. Unfortunately, that chaos had a lot of negative energy and delayed my return.

Organizing in the house I decided to buy a new piece of furniture. Previously I had my tools like scissors and rotary cutters hanging from hooks. It worked for a while until I didn’t return things to their rightful place and scissors disappeared into the abyss. I was on the hunt for something that would appeal to both my sense of style and function. Lo and Behold, I found it!

The piece works because it has drawers that are like trays. I can lay things out and see them all at once. I’m not digging through drawers hoping to find the needle in the haystack, sometimes I mean that literally. It has also allowed me to take an inventory of what I have and what I need to continue on my creative path.

It doesn’t matter how you create, finding ways to make creating easier will be a catalyst for your inspiration. How many of you musicians have sheet music in boxes, in the piano bench, in boxes on the floor? Painters and colored pencil artists have an abundance of raw materials, canvases, pads of paper, often stacked up in the corner of a room or under the bed.

Your organization levels will free your energy to be directed where it needs to be, focused on your art. I find this important because telling your story is crucial to our ongoing need to contribute to the world in which we live. We all have a piece of the “quilt of humanity” and if you’re piece isn’t there our world will be incomplete.

I watched the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards last night and the message was clear, “everyone’s story deserves to be told.” How will you tell your story? What can you do to free up your energy from clutter and disorganization to free flowing creative ventures? I’d love to see what you’ve created to release the chaos and engage your creative energy in an open and fierce way.